Laius Nevus
A Magister a breed apart from his peers, Lauis is a driven and talented man. Both cold and passionate at the same time, Lauis has lofty ambitions and grand designs, and will see his will done. Background Laius' history actually starts with his grandfather, a man who was born a slave only to become a magister by the time he was twenty-three and a respected, and feared, member of the senate by the time he was thirty. He was even considered for the position of Archon, but his former status as a slave ensured he was not chosen for that position. Regardless, he built a powerful financial empire and his name, Aleczander Nevus, became a powerful thing in and of itself. This trait has carried on through the family through Grandfather Nevus' daughter, Cassandran, Laius' mother. Like her father, she became a powerful magister and an influential senator in her own right, but her power was nothing like her father's. When she gave birth to Laius' though, Aleczander was ecstatic. He claimed he could feel the magic flowing through his first born grandchild's veins and that it was indeed powerful. He was right. Laius was trained day and night by his grandfather and his mother as well as a number of other tutors and magisters whom they trusted. He advanced through his lessons at a speed which they all found astounding. He became a full-fledged magister by his twentieth birthday and he had gained a mastery over the forbidden arts of blood magic rivaling that of his grandfather by the time he was twenty-five. Among his most feared powers were his skills with mind reading and spirit summoning. It was at that age that Laius was forced to confront his grandfather in a magical duel at both Aleczander's and Cassandran's insistence. That battle was an awe- and fear-inspiring feat of both regular and blood magic, but in the end, Grandfather Nevus couldn't prevail. He was destroyed by a single, awesome spell from Laius to the shock and horror of Cassandran and her fellow spectators, mostly servants. That night, Laius moved into one of the towers of the Circle of Magi so as to be closer to the senate and build up his political clout. Of course, this also put him into more direct conflicts with his fellow magisters, particularly concerning his views on slavery. He also witnessed the depravity of the other magisters which exceeded even his own. All in all, he grew disturbed by his own homeland for the first time in his life. Rather than wallow in these feelings and revelations though, Laius decided to do something about it. He began campaigning for the position of Archon, much to the displeasure of his fellow senators who saw his beliefs concerning slavery as a danger to the status quo. Regardless, Laius does as he pleases and it pleased him to scare his fellow magisters shitless. Appearance With his fiery red hair and cold, black eyes, Laius could be mistaken for some demonic fiend. His skin is the usual tanned hue of Tevinter and his body is lightly toned, purely for his own selfish reasons... His face is handsome in a delicate way and always reveals his aristocratic upbringing. He has a semi-permanent smirk plastered on his face and his eyes always seem to be filled with some kind of malevolent light. Never still, his eyes tend to roam over his environment in very distant, clinical manner. His dress is usually centered around whatever happens to be popular in Tevinter at the time. Honestly, his clothing tends to be less outrages than his fellow magisters, but even that isn't due to modesty. He knows how to stand out, even if you might appear to be overshadowed in your simplicity. When in Tevinter, Laius wears a set of empowered robes in the most fashionable styles of Minrathous. When he travels though, he prefers to dress in the clothing common to Chasind mages. His fellow magisters often look down upon this practice, but Laius reasons that it's better to be looked down upon than recognized as an outright mage in foreign lands. Besides, the Chasind robe is very revealing outfit... Which fits Laius just fine. There is only one piece of clothing which Laius wears at all times and that is the Sash of Forbidden Secrets. This dark, crimson sash was given to him by his father when he achieved the rank of magister and became a member of the senate. The sash seems ordinary enough at first glance, but it gives a boost to both his willpower and spellpower and even helps to guard his mind from attack. Furthermore, and most importantly, the sash enhances Laius' use of blood magic, which is always a welcome thing. Personality Laius is a bastard for the most part. He tends to be cold, distant and he has a sadistic streak a mile wide. He's also head strong and willful, doing things others wish he wouldn't simply because he knows he can do them and get away with it. Basically, he's a typical magister with concern to his megalomania. One of his few differing traits from other magisters though are his views on slavery and the use of blood magic. As far as slavery goes, Laius detests it, completely and utterly. He finds it unnecessary and barbaric and he refuses to practice it himself. Laius' family has never owned a single slave and he chose to continue that practice by employing servants, everyone of them a slave he freed, who are very loyal to him simply because of his freeing them. As for blood magic, Laius loves it, never forget that. However, he does not condone the practice of his fellow magisters who like to throw it around as though it were nothing. One of the things that Laius loves about it is its inherent power and difficulty to learn and master. For someone to drain a hundred slaves dry just to cast a single blood magic ritual out of pure vanity or simply to show off... He feels that such vagrant displays of power are idiotic and that they diminish the inherent specialty ''of blood magic. Due to his feelings, Laius will always refuse to use the blood of his allies instead of his own or his enemies until he has no other option. Furthermore, he views the idea of draining a sacrifice dry as simply repugnant and imbecilic. Why kill one for all of his or her blood when you could use the blood of two and keep them alive to use at a later date? Did I mention that he strongly dislikes wastefulness, too? In battle, Laius is a fiend. He enjoys laying waste to a battlefield more than just about anything else in the world... save sex. Along with that sadistic streak comes a healthy sexual appetite and a lustful personality to boot. Naturally, being a magister, he can satisfy all of his depraved desires at his leisure, but he prefers to find others who can... enjoy his pleasures as much as himself. This takes a special sort of person that he doesn't come across often enough, sadly, making him that much ''crankier. Abilities Elemental- Master Even as a child, Laius had an affinity for water and cold-based magic and after years of training and honing his skills, he has become a master at manipulating these elemental forces. A pressurized blast of water, a bone-chilling wind, a great ice chunk to the head; Laius can do it all. Even the creation of a mighty blizzard or body crushing downpour is just a thought away for him. Of course, he's just as adept at the use of fire and heat. While he finds the roasting of his enemies a bit less satisfying than drowning them on dry land, Laius can make do. With a wave of his hand, he can create scorching temperatures and explosions of fire. Naturally, he possess the ability to create awesome infernos and storms of flame, but being aware of the inherent dangers of such acts, he is often reluctant to call on such powers. Following his bent towards destructive magics, Laius is well practiced at tossing lightning bolts and rock shards at any foolish enough to get in his way. Being a fan of weather-related magic, he often employs lightning and wind in conjunction with his mastery over water and ice to create truly terrifying storms in the midst of battle. He is a master of the chain lightning technique and very capable when it comes to the creation of tempestuous wind or electrical storms. Blood Mage Laius' mastery of blood magic is truly striking. He was drilled in the use of the forbidden arts from the first day he showed his magical potential by his grandfather, one of the most accomplished blood mage's in the Tevinter Imperium. As a blood mage, Laius can strengthen his overall spell power through the use of blood, either his own or another's, while alleviating his need to use mana. Like all other blood mages, when Laius begins using this form of magic his body will suffer random lacerations and other forms of bleeding wounds, usually located on his arms or torso. These wounds can not be healed by any conventional means besides blood-based healing so long as Laius continues to use blood to fuel his powers. As for his other blood-based abilities, Laius enjoys the use of his enemies blood as a weapon through the hemorrhage spell. Whether through causing the blood to rupture from his enemies veins or be expelled through his target's pores, this is one of Laius' signature spells. Although a little known fact, he is also quite an accomplished ritualist. Known for his ability with spirit summoning and control, if Laius knows of a tough fight ahead of time, you can bet he'll have a contingent of spirits or undead servants. He is also a very capable mind-reader and empath when the situation calls for it, but, like all blood mages, this telempathy is only able to pick up surface thoughts and feelings. Recent Events As a method of increasing the likelihood of being made Archon, Laius has taken a more active interest in the world beyond the borders of Tevinter. He participated in a number of battles against the Qunari in his youth and found the struggle to be totally pointless for both sides. Instead, he has turned his attention to southern Thedas, especially given the growing unrest in the Anders and Orlais. One ailing King and a Queen who is losing the support of key nobles plus the unrest caused by the Kirkwall incident should make for a number of interesting situations... particularly should he give a few helpful nudges. Relationships Aleczander Nevus Grandfather Nevus was a shrewd, politically savvy man. His shrewdness even applied to his family, particularly Laius. Always distant and hard to read, Aleczander kept his favorite and most dangerous family member at arm's length, which kept Laius from developing much of an emotional connection with his grandfather. Instead, he came to view the old man as an admirably powerful mage and highly effective magister; a perfect tutor to ensure the growth of Laius' own talent. It was most likely this emotional disconnection that allowed Laius to kill his grandfather without a second thought during their last, great training session... But who knows with Laius? Cassandran Nevus Laius' mother and his earliest friend and confidant, but even that relationship was disfunctional. He grew to learn that his mother only cared so deeply for him because his magical talent reflected so well upon her in Grandfather Nevus' eyes. Laius was just an easy way for her to gain her father's approval and for the most part, Laius accepted this. After all, what wouldn't he do or sacrifice to make his parents proud of him? However, as he grew into his full power, he became disdainful of his mother and her constant quest to please her father. When Laius struck down Aleczander, Cassandran was shocked and horrified. She never forgave Laius, she still looks at him like he's some rabid animal, but at least she learned to respect and fear him for himself as opposed to her father's wishes. Category:Humans Category:Tevinter Category:Mage Category:Original